ASKO Dishwasher Recall Due to Fire (released 06-14-2007)
Thu, Jun 14, 2007
Another appliance manufacturer is recalling some of their dishwashers.
This time it’s ASKO, a swedish manufacturer that is known for their dishwashers, washers and dryers.
About 130,000 dishwashers are being recalled due to a fire hazard:
An electrical component in the dishwasher can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
The 21 reported dishwasher fire cases caused product and property damages, but no injuries have been reported.
The recalled dishwashers include the ASKO DW95 model series with model numbers 1355, 1375, 1385, 1475, 1485, 1555, 1585, 1595, 1655, 1805, 1885, and 1895 that were manufacturered from January 1995 through April 2000 and sold at appliance stores for about $750 - $1300.
The remedy is as always:
Consumers should stop using the dishwashers immediately and contact Asko to arrange for a free inspection and repair or to participate in a rebate program.
Contact: Asko toll-free at (866) 309-9921 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.askousa.com
Editor: Many Asko dishwasher owners have already expressed their opinions by commenting below. We encourage you to comment as well.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Tags: appliance recall, Asko, dishwasher recall
July 29th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
After trying to reach Asko for weeks, I was finally able to get on their website and submit my info as I had one of the affected dishwashers. I was told I would be contacted within 5-10 business days. Never happened. Had to go purchase another dishwasher. Do I have any recourse?
August 4th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Margaret, Unfortunately I’ve had the same experience. Multiple promises of contact from Asko but no follow up by the promise date. Yesterday I went to a local Asko dealer who does repairs (since they didn’t return my calls). The owner was quite apologetic and informed me that the replacement component is still not available. He said they will get their first shipment in 3 to 4 weeks. He said they’ve got almost two hundred people in their que and he didn’t think he would get to me before mid October. I’m using mine for now but am shoping for a replacement. Hopefully somebody will start a class action suit so we can get some recourse from these jerks.
August 25th, 2007 at 1:05 am
We have had the same experience exactly…nothing but run-around and no action or accountability. Unfortunately, our washer is broken completely and we are stuck. We had a repairman come out to validate that the part was needed to fix the problem. We have been dealing with this for over a month. We are trying to find contact info for the president of Asko in order to file a complaint. If anyone has info on how to reach an executive that will listen and expedite these issues, please post. Thanks.
September 4th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Same problem here. We filled out the paperwork and have heard nothing. Until now, we had no complainst about out Asko, but now we’re looking to replace it with a Bosch. Sign us up for a class action lawsuit. Asko just blew their reputation….
September 4th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
We have been waiting for more than THREE MONTHS with no dishwasher. No date by which we’ll be able to get the parts replaced, nothing. We’ve wasted hours on the phone with this. I’ll never buy another Asko again. Bosch will be my next dishwasher too.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:17 am
I’ve been told that people from ASKO read ApplianceJournal and this post in particular. Maybe they would like to comment on this.
September 5th, 2007 at 1:06 am
After weeks of finally getting an ASKO repairman (whom they contracted which took the repairman 3 weeks to get the parts in order to fix which ASKO originally asked the repairman to front the $ for) out to fix the broken dishwasher, turns out that the part they sent (the timer) was faulty and did not work. Additionally, the entire machine needs rewiring and is pretty much unrepairable. The repairman was here for over 2 hours! After not having a dishwasher for 2 months I’m fed up and have to go and replace it. I’ve already filed a complaint with the BBB and hope that a class action suit comes from all of this. I’m going to try and get some type of cash credit towards a new dishwasher but I doubt they will give me money towards anything but another ASKO which we have no intentions of ever buying again. We’ve spent hours trying to pursue this issue and get it fixed only to fail. What a waste! ASKO could’ve saved themselves by addressing and helping their customers. Mistakes happen, understood. But to tolerate a complete disregard to solving their faulty equipment is unacceptable.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
We are trying to reach ASKO for a comment and will keep you updated.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Please contact us at the email address provided, we would like the oppurtunity to get more detailed information and investigate your individual situations.
Respectfully,
Am Appliance Group
Customer Services
September 6th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
AM Appliance Group Customer Service email accounts
customersupport@amappliancegroup.com
safteyrecall@amappliancegroup.com
Sincerely,
AM Appliance Group
September 6th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
AM Appliance Group is not experiencing any availability issues regarding our recall service kits. Orders received at our distribution center are processed and shipped overnight, for next business day delivery, enabling our independent service network to schedule the service call as soon as possible with our customers. Please contact us if you have any difficulty obtaining parts. We apologized for your inconvenience.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Who is “AM Appliance Group”???
September 6th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
AM Appliance Group is the factory representative for ASKO in North America. If you could please provide us your recall service claim number we will see that your service situation is rectified immediately.
September 7th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
AJ here. Please do not post any private information in your comments. If you wish to contact AM Appliance Group, use email addresses listed above or send the info to us by using our contact form and we will re-direct it to AMAG - http://www.appliancejournal.com/contact/.
I encourage you to keep us updated on the outcome of your dishwasher recall situation by posting a comment here. This information would be helpful to others with a similar situation.
I also want to thank the folks from AMAG for responding.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Here is an update. AM Appliance Group sent me a cryptic email about calling the same local service provider we have already called a half dozen times, and who says they can’t get parts. Follow up emails to AM Applicance Group customer support and directly to the Director of Customer Support, Marc Bausch, have gone unanswered for two days now. I am completely disgusted with the lack of professionalism and focus from these people. I am about to rip out this ASKO unit and leave it sitting on the curb with an appropriate sign on it.
September 13th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
I have one of the recalled dishwashers. Asko advertises it as lasting for 20 years. Mine is 10 years old and I have had numerous problems with it. Last year I had to replace the pump. Now it is acting up again. After the cycle is complete, it just keeps running so I have to keep the door open to stop it. Eventually after a few days it stops running and then I can use it once and the same thing happens again. Does anyone else have this problem? I am hoping the part being supplied (they are coming next week) will address this problem.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Update: Marc Bausch (Director of Customer Support, AMAG) called me today to address my problem. Apparently most of the issues I have had were with the local service provider. Marc has directed me to another service provider and overnighted the parts to them. I expect to get my dishwasher fixed next Wednesday. I want to thank Marc for following up, and I will update here when the unit is fixed.
October 3rd, 2007 at 4:15 am
Wow! Unbelievable reading this thread and the posts following our experiences with our Asko and AM Appliance. Our Asko dishwashre actually CAUGHT ON FIRE in July.
When it happened, we heard a strange noise coming from the kithen one night(as the dishwasher was running) - sounded kind of like a spoon caught in the garbage disposal but without the hi-pitched whine of the disposal. I didn’t think too much of it and told my girlfriend not to worry. Five minutes later she asked me if I smelled smoke.
When we went into the kitchen the air was filled with smoke from an electrical fire. We saw it was coming from the dishwasher so I ran downstairs to hit the breaker. Next, we opened the windows and felt the outside of the door to the dishwasher- burning hot. We waited a few minutes and the smoke was clearing up and the door was beginning to cool down.
I decided to try opening the dishwasher to make sure it wasn’t still on fire or smoking inside. Funny thing is that the handle had burned up to the point that it broke - and there was some black, oily stuff that sprayed out from the handle area. But the handle did work enough to open. Inside was fine - just steam from the dishes. But the smell of the electrical fire was still very potent near the dishwasher. After awhile, the door cooled down.
So, luckily we were at home to hit the breaker when this happened, otherwise, our butcher block counter tops probably would have provided great tinder for a nice blaze. But now the breaker to the dishwasher & disposal has to remain off. We tried turning the circuit back on but as soon as we did, the dishwasher started running again. There were no longer any lights on the display, so no way to turn it off. (Maybe there’s a plug somewhere, but I can’t find it.) Luckily it didn’t start smoking again, but it did continue pumping water - all over our floor. So now we’re without a dishwasher AND a garbage disposal. Let me just say how fun it is cleaning that out every couple days with my bare hands.
So I figured that the dishwasher had just reached the end of its life and I began shopping for new ones. On a whim one night, I googled the part number on the machine. Wouldn’t you know it - a recall because they catch on fire! That seemed applicable to me.
Since I’m not made of money, I decided to see what the recall/repair process would entail. I registered our dishwasher, put in for the recall and was informed that it would be 7-10 days for my recall registration to be processed and I’d be contacted at that time. Sure enough, on the 9th day I got a call saying that my request had been processed and that I needed to get back to AM Appliance within 48 hours or my request would be closed. I called them back and was told that the parts would shipped to my local Asko dealer/service center in the next week or so.
After waiting for a week or so, I called the local service center to check on the status. They informed me they had received 3 faxes from AM(for 3 separate individuals) but had received no parts at all. I immediately called AM and they told me that the parts must have been shipped to the wrong place. The would check on the parts and then contact me. I specifically asked to be contacted when they found where the parts were. I never heard from them again.
I called again a week or so later and after talking to a manager, got the same thing as before. They were going to check on the parts and get back to me. Never heard from them.
So last week, I tried calling again. Three times in a row, I made it through the phone tree and was then disconnected while on hold. I tried again on Thursday or Friday and got through. I was told, somewhat inadvertently, that the parts had been on back order for the last month or so, but that the parts should be in now and that they’ll be shipped out soon. I asked for something a little more concrete than soon. She couldn’t do any more than that. I asked to speak to her manager - noone was there. But she assured me that she would leave a message with one of the three managers and one of them would get back to me in the next day or so. Guess what? Yep, no word at all from anyone at AM Appliance- not that I’m shocked.
So, before typing this massive chronology, I was actually searching for an Asko support email address, with no luck. Then I stumbled onto this thread. I’d love to be contacted by someone at AM or Asko to get this matter cleared up. I’m not expecting much at this point. I’m skeptical that the repair kit that they *might* send will even fix the damaged dishwasher. And who knows what additional parts/service they’ll cover for that. Again, I have very low expectations.
Good luck to the rest of you. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
KEW, ouch! I’m really sorry to hear about your ordeal. I hope Mr. Bausch will help you as well. One thing I wanted to mention is it sounds like the backordered parts you are talking about are what’s needed to be replaced as a preventive measure for this recall. Your situation typically calls for replacing the entire dishwasher, whether or not ASKO will pick up the tab.
In my opinion, you need to get AMAG (AM Appliance Group) to send someone out for an inspection, instead of ordering any parts. If they determine that the fire was not caused by dishwasher’s defect, I would recommend getting a second opinion from an outside inspector.
Keep us posted please.
October 17th, 2007 at 12:37 am
On Monday, 10/08/2007 my husband and I entered our kitchen from the patio to a strong smell of something electrical burning. Our ASKO dishwasher was running. About the time we ascertained the smell was coming from the dishwasher it stopped washing and started flashing error codes. My husband unplugged the dishwasher. Nothing felt hot but the odor was strong. We started investigating the error codes online and discovered that our dishwasher had been recalled. My husband registered on the ASKO recall website. Having read the postings on this website I expected to be without the convenience of a dishwasher for an extended period. The next morning, Tuesday, 10/09/2007, we received an acknowledgement via e-mail from ASKO. We were very pleasantly surprised to have a message on our answering machine Friday evening, 10/12/2007, from a local repair service saying they had the board in for our ASKO dishwasher and asking us to call back to schedule a service call. My husband called first thing Monday morning, 10/15/2007 and they scheduled us for the next day(today)–Tueday, 10/16/2007. When the technician opened up the panel he found that ours was burned. Wires were burned through. He said ours was the first he had seen that had actually burned. I never leave home with a dishwasher or clotheswasher or dryer running, but, I have started the dishwasher and gone to bed in the past–but never again! I am thankful that my husband and I came into the house when we did and that we didn’t have any damage outside the dishwasher. I am very pleased and appreciative of the quick response from ASKO and with the service representative they sent, New York Appliance Repair, Inc. of Deerfield Beach,FL. Their technician was prompt, courteous, professional and neat.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:56 am
Our dishwasher died with smoke and noise but we were there to shut the power off. After some troubleshooting we ordered a replacement for the fried circuit board. Fortunately it came with a replacement for the small solenoid that causes the problem. Otherwise we would have burned up the new card. In any case our dishwasher works great again. We hadn’t heard of the recall until we received a notice. We called and asked to be reimbursed for the parts we had to replace. We were told they wouldn’t cover that. I’m not pleased to the point of being interested in any class action suit that may come of it. If anyone hears, or starts, one, count me in.
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:24 pm
ASCO dishwasher fires and failures are not the only ones. Beware, last night we were awakened by fire alarm due to a fire in our BOSCH dishwasher, and a quick check on the Google shows that quite a few BOSCH dishwashers also had similar problems, and BOSCH, just like ASCO, does not take care of their customers…
November 8th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Wow, am I glad I found this thread! Our 1385 stopped dead the night before last. Checked the circuit breaker, which had popped. When I tried to re-set it, it popped again immediately and the machine emitted an acrid, burning smell. Googling for authorized repair people, I was startled to come across the CPSC recall notice. Which begs the question: if these machines present an fire hazard and have been recalled, WHERE WAS MY FREAKING NOTICE!!!! We are just damned lucky we didn’t start the washer and wake up dead when our house burned down. Shame on you, ASCO!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
The ASKO line has calmed down quite a bit. I called a couple weeks ago and lady who helped me was wonderful! It took all of 3 minutes to get through the line, even though the prompts warn you it could be up to 90 minutes! My dishwasher is already up and running, with no other problems. I didn’t get any sort of notice about it because she said my dishwasher wasn’t registered in the system. I found it online when I was searching for part information. I think the customer service there was wonderful, even though I’ve only called once!
November 13th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
My ASKO dishwasher has been nothing but trouble since the day it passed its warranty. The pump broke, and had to be replaced, the electronic panel has also been replaced - now, six months after that repair, the same old problems are arising - long delays in the washing cycle, weird shuddering, bumping noises coming from the front panel. My repair man happened to mention the recall to me this afternoon. Interesting to learn that I might burn my house down by attempting to wash my dishes.
I wrote a long letter to Mr. Bausch at AMAG last year, and got no response. I imagine he’s very busy dealing with the THOUSANDS of complaints about this substandard and very expensive product.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:34 am
This wont be very descriptive simply because I am tired and it is late, but I happened to quickly come to your site after googling.
I didn’t want to leave without letting you know that OUR ASKO 1385 ACTUALLY CAUGHT ON FIRE!
It was in the final drying stage and flames actually came out of the top part to the left of the handle (I suppose this is where the electrical panel is).
There is now a burnt out hole, burnt plastic, blackness on the dishwasher, a burnt plastic smell in the kitchen and also there was hot black plastic drippings left on the floor in front of the dishwasher. We thought we would have to replace the floor because we initially thought we would never be able to get the pile of burnt hard plastic off on the floor (it seemed to be glued to the floor like molten lava) but my husband was able to scrape it off of the floor with a butter knife, but you can still see where it happened because of scrap marks left on the floor.
Also, when I saw the flames, I already had the dishwasher door open all the way (meaning, the dishwasher door was open and THEN after say one minute later I saw flames). The reason I had the door open is because I smelled a burnt plastic smell and it was in the final drying stage. I opened the door, but did not click the dishwasher to completely turn off. I decided to take all the dishes out because it looked like they were dry enough for me to start putting them away. So, as I had the door open, THAT is when the flames started coming out from the outside of the door with plastic drippings going onto the floor.
THANK GOD I did not have the dishwasher door closed at that time or else the counter would have DEFINITELY had fire damage.
Tomorrow morning we are going to Sears to get a Maytag!!!!!
PS: I didn’t even know there was a recall on our dishwashwer until I googled to see if anyone had a similar problem with their ASKO 1385.
PSS: I printed out the first page of this site and showed it to my husband. He apologized to me because he now knows it was not my fault; not something I did. I’m like Lucy from “I Love Lucy”. Things like this seem to happen to me! Phew, hey, at least there is a recall and now I know it wasn’t my fault!!!!
December 16th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
After receiving the recall notice by mail I registered online 12 July 2007. I received a claim number 3 Aug 2007. Five months later there has been no repair nor any communication through 16 Dec 2007. Asko customer service is nonexistent. I will never buy an Asko product again.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:33 am
Thank you for sharing your stories with us. I know they will be very helpful to other ASKO owners. And hopefully to ASKO / AMAG as well.
Joyce, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a Maytag dishwasher. Get a Whirlpool dishwasher instead. If you can, get Kitchen Aid (owned by Whirlpool, slightly better design). Maytag is also owned by Whirlpool. Their dishwashers are not as good as they used to be. At this time, I would not recommend a Maytag dishwasher, washer or a dryer. Just my opinion of course.
December 29th, 2007 at 2:25 am
We have an ASKO, type 1353, that we won’t use for the same reasons. The other night smoke accompanied with an acrid electrical smell started coming from the machine. We took off the panel at the bottom and found the power connection block to the main power of the house melted. A couple of the other wires appeared to have been overheated and burned as well. There also appeared to be residue from water in the catch tray below the machine.
Do you know if this model is included in the recall?
January 1st, 2008 at 5:53 am
ASKO 1353 dishwasher does not appeart to be part of this recall. You can double check with ASKO using phone numbers listed above to be sure.
Happy New Year!!!
January 29th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
My Asko 1475 caught on fire last week I have been dealing with the Customer Service at AMAG (ASKO) and following the serviceman’s report that the machine was not repairable Asko made an offer to sell me a new machine at distributor cost with shipping installation and disposal to be at my expense!!! This amounts to no offer at all! They obviously want to be made whole for manufacturer’s and AMAG profit which given the admission of product liability and further damages I find ludicrous. They also raise the argument that my machine was out of warranty and therefore subject to pro-rata settlement. This is not a warranty situation it is a latent defect and falls under product liability law
I have left messages with their Service Enhancement department several times and have not heard from them.This is crazy but they simply are forcing consumers to take legal action. Does anyone have a good contact name and phone number as I am running out of patience
January 29th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Tony, try using one of the ASKO/AMAG emails above. Address your problem to Marc Bausch. Please keep us informed.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Tony and A.J. - Take it from me, they won’t help you. They made a dangerous and faulty product, and they don’t care. I honestly think a class action suit is the only recourse. Either that, or just cutting our losses - but at the price we all paid for these machines, it’s a significant loss. I’ve put several hundred additional dollars into repairs, as well - but when you replace defective parts with more defective parts… The handwriting is on the wall.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Tony, got your email… We’re trying to reach AMAG again. I’ll keep everyone posted.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Re: Claim number 2337146
On January 12, 2008, my ASKO Dishwasher stopped working. I called the ASKO number that was printed in my user’s guide, and was instructed that an approved service company would contact me to come and take a look at the dishwasher. On January 15, 2008, a representative, Greg May, from Executive Appliance Services in Garden Grove, California, came to my home, inspected my dishwasher, and told me that there was a leak in the tub, which was spraying water into the electrical component, shorting it out, and that the dishwasher would need to be replaced. He then said that he would fax a work order to ASKO, and that ASKO would handle it from there. I gave it a couple of days, and on January 22, 2008, I called ASKO and asked for an update. They have not received the fax from Executive Appliance Services. I spent a day communicating between Executive Appliances and ASKO to get a simple fax faxed over, so that the process could begin for your “Service Enhancement” team to review my case and get back to me to tell me what you would do for me, i.e., replace or repair.
I am writing this post on February 4, 2008. I have not received an answer from your “Service Enhancement” team, I have put a call into your office personally, and have not heard a word from you, I have logged at least a dozen called to your Advisory Center, and not only received no useful information, but one of your customer service representatives by the name of Sonia actually lied to me and told me that she was going to transfer me to a supervisor, and just basically transferred me cold into the Advisory 800 # again.
It goes without saying that I am extremely disappointed to date with the lack of service and concern on the part of your company regarding my plight. I bought the ASKO dishwasher based upon the perception of quality that I would receive. I believe that your company should stand behind its warranty, and its word. When I spoke to a customer service representative after your company FINALLY received the fax from Executive Appliances, I was told I would receive word from the “Service Enhancement Team” within 5 business days.
February 13th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Okay folks, lets don’t be so hard on ASKO. They simply are tring to wash their hands from responsibility. Get it wash? All joking aside, I too have had issues with service my ASKO 1585 washers, I have 2 of them so my issues are double.
Thanksgiving was approaching and we had a rather large group of people invited to attend. My port washer stopped pumping to drain water after the wash cycle. A couple days later the starboard washer stopped circulating to wash. Now I have both down. Researching for local repair via google, I found the recall for the fire hazard. I logged on and registered my washers for the recall service to be performed. And just like the rest of you, I had not been contacted by the contracted appliance repair company. I let a couple months go by before contacting ASKO by phone. They said they never finished processing the order. Finally I was contacted by the appliance company to perform the recall service. I informed them both washers where non functional due to previous mention. I asked if they could perform the neccesary repairs while on site. They informed me they would see if the recall service would resolve the issue. They replaced the control board in the door, started the wash cycles and left without verifing if they would complete the cycle.
I live about 45 miles from this company, in which they charge a service fee for travel then a fee for what repairs are performed. As you may have guessed, the recall service did not resolve my 2 reported problems. Now I had to pay for the travel, a pump and a valve and the labor fee. It came out to be around $600.00, in total about a quater of what I paid for them.
Now my starboard washer presents with the same issue it had before I found there was a recall. I called the appliance company that repaired them prior only to find out ASKO provides 1 year warranty on parts, good. Nope, he only has a 30 day warranty on labor and travel. It failed 42 days after the repair. It’s note just ASKO, it’s the repair companies as well causing our pain. ONLY 12 days out of his warranty? If it’s the pump again the pump will be covered but not the travel and labor. Do they think I’m going to keep calling them back every 3 months to have the parts covered and not the labor. Kiss my ASS ASKO! What happened to the statement on the washer data the says “Our washers will last 20 years, we mean it.” Looks like I’m going to be soaking in it Marg, dishpan hands on the way.
Thinking the pump failed again, not so sure. I found the silverware basket melted on the bottom, apparently from the heating element.
Can anyone tell me the component resposible for the fires? I would like to see if the problem I am currently having is caused by the recall.
Thanks for listening.
February 13th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Oh, my lord, Scott - I feel your pain. But TWO of them - what could be worse?
Interestingly, my ASKO first failed on a Thanksgiving night, as well. I had 25 guests that evening. It hasn’t caught on fire yet - I need to be grateful for small favors.
Amy
February 20th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Alas friends, I too am a 1385 sufferer, I mean owner. Long delays in the cycle and constant circuit breaker tripping in october had me call out an “authorized” repair service. They were on the phone with Asko’s tech line for about 1.5 hours, after which they told me I was using too much soap, and then charged me $130 for this opinion. (I was using premeasured electrasol tabs). After all this, problems persisted, to the point that I finally got online and found out about the recall. Why O why was I not told by my authorized repairman that there was a dangerous recall on this machine? More importantly, why o why did Asko not tell their authorized expert about it over the course of said 1.5 hour conversation if the “expert” didn’t already know? This whole experience has been a nightmare. The long cycle times (7 hours once) caused some water to accumulate in the pump, which caused more problems. When I contacted Asko, they offered to repair only the timing problem under the recall, or else offered $100 toward a new asko. A $1300 machine should last way more than 8 years. Sign me up for that class action lawsuit. The company screwed up, and now they’re screwing up further when they should be bending over backward for their trusting consumers who paid top dollar for a high end appliance. If they had resolved this for me I would have been a repeat customer, as I did really like the machine. As it is, I just ordered a top of the line Bosch. I hope they’re more concerned about the safety and satisfaction of their customers than Asko.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Oh - and now it’s leaking all over the kitchen floor.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I should update everyone on my experience since it seems like the problems with Askos and their customer service are continuing with no end in sight. I would have done this sooner, but suffice it to say that I keep plenty busy.
After my post above(10/3/2007), ASKO(or AMAG - can’t remember) called the next day and coordinated a replacement dishwasher at no cost. I had it within 2 weeks. So far it’s working great and it was encouraging that they stepped up and replaced my unit. For that I am thankful.
Hopefully with continued comments and pressure from other Asko owners, Asko will take care of those that are currently in the same situation that I was in. It is the right and fair thing to do.
FYI to Amy- I had the same problem with my dishwasher after it caught on fire - leaked all over the floor until the water was all drained. It was great.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:58 am
what is is about thanksgiving???? It’s like there was a self-destruct timer set up to go off on all of them. weird. KEW, how on earth did you get a replacement unit??? Asko customer service passed me off to their local dealers, as though they would be motivated to help.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:03 am
oh, and scott– my pump is on the fritz too, and Asko claims that it’s not related to the recall, and that I’m on my own on that one.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I received an update from Tony, who’s commented before about his ASKO dishwasher getting caught on fire. Here is what he said:
Yes, In the end they (ASKO) offered me a replacement machine delivered free of charge but I elected a better machine at a discount. I would have pursued a greater settlement but their repair guy had told them my fire wasn’t related to the recall !!?? This came as a shock and would have placed the burden of proof on me to show the proximate cause was a product defect.The cost in doing out weighed the amount of money involved.
In all I am happy with the settlement. Asko must be having real issues with their older machines and I would wager it is threatening their continued existence in the USA. They need to get their customer service in order and get issues resolved quicker. It take them a week to respond.
I hope my new machine lives up to the brochure.
Thanks for you help.
Tony
March 14th, 2008 at 3:54 am
we have an asko 1475. it was in the new house we bought. it is a 1995 model. i noticed it always seemed to be running/humming. i called the local asko repair. they ordered a new part for it, and within 2 weeks, it was all taken care of for free. i guess it depends where you live. i live in portland, or, and the service repair shop i used was american appliance hospital or something like that. it was pretty simple.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:55 am
we have an asko 1475. it’s in the new house we bought. it is a 1995 model. i noticed it always seemed to be running/humming. i called the local asko repair. they ordered a new part for it, and within 2 weeks, it was all taken care of for free. i guess it depends where you live. i live in portland, or, and the service repair shop i used was american appliance hospital or something like that. it was pretty simple.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Well, it sounds like my experience with the recall went ‘mostly’ smoothly. I have an ASKO 1805 which hasn’t really had problems. We called on the recall in January, 08. AM rep told us they would refer it to a local repair person and they would call. After about 3 weeks we called again since we hadn’t heard anything, and this time they gave us the repair vendor’s name to call and we then set up an appointment. Within about a week, he was here with the parts and changed the “wax motor” (apparently the part that was overheating), and replaced the computer. (To do that he had the door all apart.)
The other day I noticed some water dripping under the unit so I took off the kickplates. There was water in the drain pan, which I soaked up, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I left the kickplates off to see what was going on under the unit. I ran it a few more times with no problems. Today I walked by while it was running, and I saw water pouring out from a small hole in the bottom of the door (rt side) while the machine was draining. This is a hole in the door assembly, not apparently at a gasket. This hole lines up with a plastic piece on the kickplate that diverts the water into the drain pan. If this was a little water it wouldn’t be a problem,. but its quarts of water, as if the water is getting into somewhere it shouldn’t be and that’s its way out.
I’m wondering if something was not put back together properly, but equally strange is that it ran a dozen times since the ‘fix’ without apparent problems.
If anyone has suggestions, let me know.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:02 am
As a former technician, I’m not very familiar with ASKO dishwashers. One thing comes to mind - if the lower spray arm is not turning when the dishwasher is on, this may cause the leak. To check, turn on the dishwasher, let it fill up and go through a wash cycle of a minute, then slowly open the door just a little until the pump stops (to prevent water from splashing out), then open it fully. Make a note of the position of the spray arm, close the door, click on START to resume the cycle, then open the door after a couple of seconds to see if the spray arm had moved.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Mine tends not to restart for HOURS if I open the door mid-cycle. Strangely enough, it has stopped leaking, and runs most of the time. For now.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Our Asko model D1876 caught on fire just last night! Nearly took the whole house with it, too. I called Asko today to inform them of the problem, and the supervisor there wouldn’t help me a bit. She just kept telling me to write a complaint to their P.O.Box in Texas. This model is not listed as part of the recall, but it should be!
April 24th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Ma pompe principale a brisée.Il ne faut que changé le joint d’étancheité (seal) et le roulement a bille (bearing).Des couts minime.Impossible de trouver les pieces, je dois acheter la pompe,elle coute 265.00$.Ridicule.Quelqu’un peut-il me dire où je peux trouver les pieces.Merci Ghislain
April 25th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
What is the model number of your dishwasher?
Quel est le numéro de modèle de votre lave-vaisselle?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I finally dumped by Asko this weekend after years of dealing with leaking, pump problems, and Asko’s awful customer service. We had a little celebration in my house! My new Bosch is quieter and does a better job of cleaning. encourage all Asko owners to unite and do the same. Maybe we can put Asko out of business because that is what they deserve! Spread the word. .
May 12th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I made a posting on October 17, 2007, about our good experience with ASKO and the service company that they authorized to do the recall repair, New York Appliance of Deerfield Beach, FL. The fan didn’t work after the repair, but, they came back promptly and fixed the problem.
Now, about 7 months later–May 7, 2008, the day before houseguests were to arrive, I started the dishwasher, walked into the laundry room to start a load of clothes, walked back into the kitchen to smoke coming out of the control area of my repaired ASKO dishwasher. It flashed an error message so briefly that I couldn’t read it and then totally shut down and went black My husband immediately unplugged the machine and called Nick (the owner) at New York Appliance and told him that we had the same problem as before. He said he would have to have authorization from ASKO to come out unless we wanted to pay him $75 to come out and then parts and time past a certain amount of time, I think. Then my husband called and called ASKO and finally got a person to listen who told him that they couldn’t authorize another replacement of the recalled part unless it was verified by an authorized service tech that it was the replacement part that burned!!!!!
It didn’t take much discussion for us to decide that we are done with ASKO. Obviously, the part(s) being used in the recall repair are not fixing the problem. (I’ve also seen this experience posted by someone else on this board,) In the past we replaced the pump and later, after it cracked, the plastic trim around the control panel. Then the first fire and recall repair and now fire #2. Even if we are able to somehow able to get them to take responsibility for this repair, we have no confidence that the underlying problem will be solved and will still have a fire hazard sitting in our kitchen.
Ever since the water pump was replaced, my husband has been talking to various service techs we have used for other appliance repairs and getting their opinions on the most reliable and easiest to service of all the higher end machines. The unanimous opinion has been Bosch dishwashers. So, we are now trying to make our minds up on which model we want. And, you know what, I think it’s a real shame—and shame on you ASKO, because I loved that dishwasher. It was super quiet and no matter how I loaded or overloaded it, the dishes and pots and silverware came out sparkling clean. The silverware basket didn’t fall apart and the racks didn’t rust out. However, just as a man is only as good as his word, a manufacturer who doesn’t stand behind his product and shows as little regard for customers and doing the right thing as I have seen posted over and over on this message board is not one that I care to do repeat business with or to ever recommend when asked. On the contrary, I think all of us who have lived with these fire hazards in our homes will be only too happy to tell our stories at every opportunity. Too bad no one at ASKO is listening.
June 8th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I was sitting in the recliner the other night when a pair of our smoke alarms starting chirping. I went into the kitchen and flames a foot high were coming from the selector switches on our 4-5 year old Bosch dishwasher. The plastic of the door is what was on fire and now I can probably stick a baseball in the hole. If we’d have been gone, the house would have gone up in smoke. I emailed Bosch, but since its the weekend I don’t expect to here anything from them. I probably will not be getting another Bosch unless there customer service department really shines.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 am
BEWARE!!!!! We had a recall for the model of our dishwasher. Customer service for ASKO is horrible. We have put so much money into these dishwashers that it’s unbelievable!! I was thinking oh this will just be a quick fix. Then another time it wasn’t working, then another, then another….After weeks of finally getting ahold of someone, I was only offered a discount of another ASKO dishwasher. I wanted my money back-won’t be happening!! Well, can’t wait to go shopping for two new dishwashers:)
August 15th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
on july 19 our asko dishwasher went on fire. it took several calls to asko and then allowed replacement kit to be sent out. replacement kit is new control board and plug. still did not work. have to wait for asko to approve other parts as may be necessary. basically no dish washer after machine went on fire. Asko should be compelled to replace such machines - after fire damage it may be impossible to restore the machine.
August 16th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
This is a really eye-opening thread! We bought an Asea dishwasher (company preceded ASKO) in 1988 and have been quite happy with it. We have, over the years, had to replace switches numerous times, the pump, the baskets, etc, but it has been quiet, hard-working and flame-free! It’s time to buy a new machine and I was leaning toward ASKO until I came upon this thread. Why does everyone site Bosch as the only logical alternative? What about Miele? I’m leaning toward a lower-end Miele rather than risk the fire hazards, noise, lack of internal space and cleaning power that other reviewers of Bosch machines have bemoaned. Thanks!
August 16th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Susan, the old ASKOs were good machines - it’s the modern versions (and the attendant customer “service”) that are so useless. Coincidentally, I’m on my way right now to buy a new machine - I am planning on a Bosch mainly because of the dearth of consumer complaints. Mieles tend to have bad service records - my ASKO repair guy (who has become a friend, as we’ve had him over to the house so often) has a Miele, and he is aware of the problems with them. We also have a Miele hood on our stove - beautiful, but poor design. The down lights blew just a few months into our owning it, and are absolutely impossible to repair.
Good luck with your foray into the world of modern appliances!
August 16th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Thanks for the response, Amy! It looks like I could squeeze both the Bosch or Miele into the space that my Asea occupied (I couldn’t put a 24″ wide ASKO in there). One consideration is that it may be easier to obtain Bosch parts and service in my rural part of northern California. I am sure you have done your homework: what model Bosch are you buying? I hope it is trouble-free and lives up to your expectations!
August 19th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
We are getting one of the Bosch DLX models - today, I hope. Fingers crossed that it out-performs the ASKO. If it will just start when I push ON, and not burst into flames, I figure I’ll be miles ahead of the game.
So happy to be rid of the ASKO issues. Last time my repair guy came over, he looked at the ASKO, sighed, and said: “I hate this machine”. I’m with him!
August 19th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
We just found out that the old Asea that my husand framed our granite-topped kitchen counter for is slightly shorter than average (seems like he should have checked industry standards first, but….). So, with complex and teeth-gnashing remodel work, all we’ll be able to fit into the space is the slightly shorter Miele. I’m not disappointed, as my old Asea had a huge capacity and I’ve heard the Bosch doesn’t hold as much as the Miele. But, as they say, we shall see! At least we’ve both escaped the spectre of the flame-throwing ASKOs. Best of luck!
September 5th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Even though I received a recall notification last year, ASKO didn’t send anyone to my house until two months ago. First, ASKO sent a wrong part so that I needed to wait for another two weeks for a correct part. When a repair guy tried to replace the recalled part with the correct part, a plastic housing holding the faulty unit broke. The plastic housing was partially burnt and very fragile. The repair guy needed to order a plastic housing replacement. I waited for another two weeks. Now I was told that I had to pay for the plastic housing since it is not a part of recall unit.
After talking to several people at ASKO’s customer service, I was told by them that ASKO would pay for the plastic housing, but I would have to pay for all labor associated with this repair since it is more than replacing the defective unit.
My dishwasher was working fine until the repair guy opened the unit and tried to replace the defective part. Why do I need to pay for anything?
As of today the dishwasher is still not working. No one seems to take any responsibilities on this issue. I know that the local repair company has nothing to do with this, but they also think I have to pay for everything.
September 5th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Just wanted to let you know that I’m nearly a month into my Bosch. I absolutely love it. Quiet, the dishes and glasses come out sparkling clean, and wonder of wonders - when you push the “On” button - it turns on! I just wish I hadn’t waited so long.
Good luck to all - but there is something more than electronics broken at ASKO. Perhaps they are so overwhelmed with complaints that they can’t keep up - but it really seems more like they just don’t care. After the initial sale is made - you’re on your own.
September 5th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Hallelujah! So glad to hear you’re pleased with the Bosch! I hope it gives you many years of trouble-free service. Our old Asea seems to have pulled itself together once again (we replaced a part with an old used one we had from our Asea part stash). It’s a matter of time, but at least it’s sort of cleaning the dishes once again. I had decided to go with a Bosch, but I’m expecting I’ll be happy with the Miele. At least this thread really saved me from pulling the trigger on an Asko. Any time you want to chat, Amy, I’m at eelriver@saber.net; thanks again for your help.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
After calling a second repairman, and replacing 5 fuses we found our Asko model 1385 was a recall unit. We feel lucky that we did not have a fire since we run the dishwasher at night before going to bed. Our grandchildren have been with us!! What a scary thought!
I called the 800 number and Mary with Asko tells me that we will be contacted within 48hrs. by a service rep. We will wait and see.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:28 am
My mum has an asko washing machine. She payed about $2000 for it about 5 years ago and has it repaired consistantly every year costing her big $$$. I have a cheap whirlpool of the same age that has never gone wrong even after moving house. And as a suggestion for a good dishwasher brand for all those shopping around look for a Bendix. It’s an Italian brand, mines going on ten years and still great.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 am
I have praise for ASKO. After coming across this blog, I called ASKO’s 800 number last week regarding my 11-year old model 1475 (I wasn’t even the original purchaser, it was from our house’s previous owner). They took my name, address & serial number, and two days later I got a call from their local repair company to arrange an appointment. A couple of days later they showed up promptly, replaced the “wax motor” (which was already burned on mine, thankfully it didn’t ignite the dishwasher & kitchen), along with most other electronics in the door. All good now. I’m very happy with their response & service, and I LOVE this dishwasher. We’ve been using it for 7 years and it’s so quiet, does a great job, and has a huge capacity.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Called Asko back for the third time. It now been 8 days since my first call. I am still waiting to hear from the repair service.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Hi - on Oct. 10th my ASKO 1585 began to smoke and caused a nasty fire in the kitchen - fire dept. had to come and extinguish the burning motor - I had no idea this dishwasher had a “recall” - Before replacing I happened to google ASKO / fire and up come all your tales. Now I am really mad. No one notified us of a recall and we could have been badly hurt if we had gone to bed. I have called asko and notified the appliance store which we purchased. The store acts as though they never heard of anything wrong with Asko dishwashers which sounds bogus given all of the complaints and consumer product safety commission recall notices which are available. They did not offer any help - Asko is supposed to be sending a repair man to see if it really burned, meanwhile we have a fire dept. report, etc. I’ll let you know what happens. Is there a class action lawsuit???? We’d like to join it.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
my dishwaser cought fire last night,i started looking online and found this site if a rep can help i would be thankfull.thanks RJ
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Randy - call the ASKO Recall Hotline: (800)898-1879. Don’t wait for a rep to read your post here. Mine got repaired quickly free.
November 15th, 2008 at 4:45 am
same thing happened to us last night, the door self ignited.
we were so lucky, we were there to flip the breakers…otherwise the whole house could have been toast.
called the service, lied about not knowing anything about me or my dishwasher even though i have recieved a pump from them 4 years ago under warranty.
They told me that my washer is not registered and hence i have not been notified of the recall.
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I was told by our local repair shop (Capital City Appliance) that it would cost over $500 to repair my Asko dishwasher. So, I started researching new dishwashers although I really didn’t want to replace it. Then I looked online about ordering parts and that is when I found this site. Thank God! I called Asko and they sent a repair kit to a different repair shop (The Appliance Man). It took a few follow up phone calls but the Appliance Man shop was great at helping with the follow through. After almost 2 months of no dishwasher while muddling through all the options, my dishwasher was repaired free of charge and is working like new! Thanks to Asko and the Appliance Man in Columbus Ohio. Don’t call Capital City, they claim ignorance in being notified of Asko recalls although 2 people at Asko assured me as an authorized dealer, Capital City was notified.
December 4th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
WOW! My sympathies to all of you. I live in Israel and the brand name of my dishwasher is “Telsa”, even though I now now that it was manufactured by Asko (a.k.a. Asea). It’s a model 1905 that we bought about 12(?) years ago. Fortunately, we’ve had no fire (yet), but the lower drawer/rack is so rusty I’m afraid it will fall apart before I can get a replacement. The service agent here in Israel claims they have them on order, but I get this same answer to my queries over the last 6 months. Does anyone have an idea how I can find a new LOWER RUST-FREE drawer/rack that will fit into my machine?
December 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
i had a fire on my asko,ifound there web site and called it took 3 to 4 weeks but they gave us a new one at no charge.my asko was 10 years old so we are happy. RJ
December 5th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
My ASKO 1805 smelled burned recently and stopped working. Didn’t see afire but you could smell something had burned up. Called Mr. Appliance (South Florida) and they came out and confirmed the control board was burned up. Said it was a warranty claim and that they would submit the claim but could not repair it themselves as they are not authorized. Said ASKO would contact me. I waited over a month and no contact until today.
Spoke with the ASKO service rep and they had my claim, but no explanation why they had not contacted me. Anyway, she said a local repair center would contact me within 24-48 hours.
So, we’ll see!
December 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Follow Up. After I was told I would be contacted in 24-49 hours, a week passed and nada! So I called again today and put on hold while they spoke with the supervisor to see what happened. It appears the order was OK’d to a local rep but they never contacted me. Still waiting!
December 12th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
just stay ontop of it,they were nice with us.its not asko its the service cos,we went through 3!the third one was quick RJ
December 21st, 2008 at 4:46 am
Just recovering from the shock of smoke belching out of the door of the Asko 1375 we acquired with this house. Had we done the usual and turned it on before we turned in for the night, we might have awoken (hopefully at least) to a fire and with temps at 4o below and 10 miles from nearest fire department, we’d have lost her all I’m certain. Anyhow, thanks for the thread - I’ll get started on the calls on Monday Morning. Actually kinda like tha machine as we’ve had a lot of junk sold as gold in the past.
Have found that any delays safety things are easist to solve by speaking with the local FD Chief and then a call to consumer safety folks at the Fed. Gov. and generally things happen pretty quick. We’ll sure be joining the class action if no ASKO action within a few days.
Engineers make errors we know but most great companies make friends of their customers through these adversities. Persiration wins over inspiration.
Thanks all,
LQ
December 31st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I purchased the Asko D3530 serial 033900989022 and felt it looked great,washed well and was quiet. In August 2007 the drain pump failed and I was given AAA Appliance (703 350 4115) as a certified Asko repair shop.They came out and said the pump needed replacing and that they would order the part which was still under warrenty. After repeated calls on 9/4,9/12,9/25,10/1 and 10/3 the part was finally sent and installed. The final person at Asko was Brian on 9/28/07. On 12/16/08 the Asko washer stopped and gave the message “water outlet fault”. I called the Asko center at 800-898-1879 and spoke with Sonya.She gave me A-1 repair(703-913-7439) and Mr M repair (703-944-8571). I selected A1 and they instantly sent out Mr Noroleen to repair the unit. I paid the $69.95 service fee and the unit still did not work. I called back A1 and Ken(the manager) said Mr Noroleen would not work on the Asko and he would send Gene to look at it. After two trips Gene said the control panel needed to be replaced. We called Asko that day (12-24-08) and they said the tech rep needed to order the part and that it was still under warrenty. A1 called to order the part and the parts department said to them that they were not a certified technician and could not order the part. On 12/29/08 I called Asko Advisory center and got Britany. She said even though they said A1 was a certified tech that the Asko web site was out of date and said I had to get another certified shop to come out and pay an additional service fee. I asked to speak to a supervisor,she put me on hold for 15 plus minutes,came back and said one was not available and she was sorry but that there was nothing she could or would do!She gave me Mr M Repair and I called him. Mr M said he could not order parts from Asko because he had not created an account.(now remember this is the second certified shop I was given by Asko from what Britany said was an out dated web site) On 12-30-08 I called Asko back and this time got Bree(who said Britany was not available). I explained my situation again and she said she would talk to a supervisor and to please hold. After 10 plus minutes she came back and said one was not availble but to call parts and see if they would ship the part directly to my house. I then had to hang up and call 866-223-5549(parts) and I got Daniel. Daniel said he could not help me and to call back to the advisory center and ask to speak to a manager and that they could approve the order. I called again and this time got Sherita(who would not connect me to either Bree,Britany or Sonya) and asked for a manager. She said she would help me and again I explained the situation. While I waited Sherita called A1 and told them they could order the part but when they tried again, they were told I had to pay the $500 up front for the part plus the $125 installation fee. Sherita said she was e-mailing a supervisor with my situation and that she would have him call me. This started at 11am on 12/30 and by 3:30 that day I had not gotten any response so I called the advisory center again and this time got Wendy. I asked to speak to Sherita at extention 4468 and Wendy said she would help. Wendy looked at the account and said she would have a supervisor call me no later than 12/31/08 in the AM. Wendy said two supervisors were working on the problem and when I asked for their names she refused to provide it. I am still waiting for a call and it is 12/31/08 12:54 PM. I tried to get a phone number for Mr Steve Piro who is the President of AM Appliance Group or Mr Don Prevette who is the VP. If anyone has their e-mail or phone number please send it to me at my e-mail lwince@farmersagent.com.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
We purchased a new Asko D19996 Dishwasher a few years ago for our new home. It came highly recommended from a high end appliance store in Phoenix. It was expensive (over $1500), but this was going to be our dream kitchen. The dishwasher is/was very quiet, but required us to rinse the dishes thoroughly. Within two months the problems started. The first problem was it would not start after pressing the start button. This required a new circuit board which took weeks to arrive. Then the handle broke. This also required parts that took a very long time. Then the upper basket slide mechanism broke. We had several more problems and then the handle broke again. We continued using it with the broken handle and then the circuit board failed again. This board is $500 for the part plus the service call. I just do not see an end to these failures and do not think it is worth repairing.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:02 am
your home warranty should cover it,if none sign up and wait 30 days then file for repair. be sure to check to see if its on recall, asko will repair!
January 7th, 2009 at 12:35 am
I checked the Asko web site and this dishwasher is no longer under warranty.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Just this morning I was silently blessing my Bosch for the trouble it took from my life when I finally gave up on the ASKO.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
On 1/05/09 I called Asko again and this time got Kayla to look at my situation. She became silent and then said please wait a minute. The next thing I know Alex a supervisor ext 4488 said he would contact Asko parts and get back to me. He said A1 may have to pay for the part and then get reinbursed. I said they will not pay for the part up front and just to send it to my home and I will pay for the $125 installation fee. Alex said he would call me back and as of today at 12:30 PM 1/07/09 no call back on my cell phone which I always carry and it records all calls. What a great company Asko has representing them in the USA.
January 11th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
This is about my 4th posting since I contacted Asko back in Oct 2008. After repeated attempts and repeated promises they would contact me back in 24 hours, I give up on Asko. I will yank it out and leave it sitting on the street with a nasty sign about what I think of Asko Service. It is crap. How can they honestly tell clients they will call them back within 24 hours and then just blow them off like that? I certainly liked the machine while it worked, but forget the service support if you have a problem. And this was a recall!!!
I’m shopping for a Bosch this weekend!
January 12th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Much to my surprise I received the part for my Asko on Friday. I did not get a call back from Alex the supervisor but he must have reviewed my file and realized how much trouble I have had. The part is installed and the machine seems to be running fine. Thank you Alex at ext 4488.
January 12th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
i dont think its all asko, the service people are bad!! asko must be covered up. kayla was very nice, it took a few weeks but got a new washer. it has to be the service cos most are forein!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Today my Asko 1585 popped and started smoking and buzzing. I called Asko when I read about the recall. They said they would immediately start the repair process by sending the parts to my home and notifying the service company. We have had 11 good years out of this unit. If and when it is fixed I hope to have a few more years. Whether or not I will buy another Asko depends on the next 10 days. Wish me luck - maybe they have turned over a new leaf - maybe not.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I would be happy with even 5 years of service, but my Asko lasted just over 3 years and was broken & out of service several times during that period.
I will never buy another Asko product!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Re: Asco dishwasher fire. Mine went on fire and I called to report it on January 15, 2008. Asco took all the info and established a “case”. They represented that a serviceman would contact me within 24 hours. None did. So I called again. Spent about 20 minutes on hold I got “Arren” on the line. Arren pulled up the file, but she wanted info to confirm my ID. So, we did my name and address: then she asked for my telephone number, again; the serial number of the unit, again; and then I was asked for the model number, again. I said to Arren: “Look,I don’t have it on this piece of paper - I gave it to you yesterday and you have it in the file” She said I don’t care, the procedure is that you must tell me again” I said OK and I went to get it off of the machine. But the time I got back, she had hung up.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
That is so typical, Gary. I can’t tell you how many times I crawled down on my kitchen floor, looking for that stupid number. I finally did write it in big letters on my useless “trouble-shooting guide” - once I realized that the calls were going to be frequent. I’m afraid their case files are circular, if you know what I mean.
January 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
After repeated promises ASKO would call me back I have given up. Went out and bought a new top of the line Electrolux. 16 settings, super quiet, etc… The ASKO was good while it ran, but the service sucks. I’ll never understand why they bother telling the customer they will contact you within 24-48 hours and never mean it. I’ll never buy another ASKP or recommend it. They have made a disloyal customer!
January 27th, 2009 at 2:20 am
In November 2008 our Asko dishwasher spontaneously ignited. Luckily we were at home and able to exstinguish the flames. After continuous calls to Asko, they have not repaired or replaced our dishwasher. We have gotten in touch with a lawyer and have begun legal proceedings. Please contact me if you would like to join.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I gave our Asko dishwasher away last night. We owned it for just over three years and it was broken several times. The last time it broke was on Thanksgiving.
I will never own another Asko product again!
January 27th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Dear MJ,
I am very sorry to hear of your traumatic and dangerous experience, but very happy to hear that you are seeking legal help. I can’t join you because my machine never burned - but I sincerely urge everyone here whose ASKO smoked or caught fire to contact MJ. ASKO knowingly has put thousands of people at risk. It’s a miracle that no one has been killed. But the machines are still out there, and ASKO knows it.
January 27th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
your just wasting your money,call them first. if you have time to hire an atty you have time to call asko, it took 3 to 4 weeks but it payed off for us! RJ
January 31st, 2009 at 12:02 am
Well all of you that thought Bosch was so good, look at this http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09100.html I hope you realize that really the best dishwasher on the market is the Miele and they start at around 1100. You will not find any other dishwasher even compare to there entry model much less there top end ones. They even did an in home demonstration for me, everything I put in there comes out cleaner than my old bosch and get this, they tell you NOT to pre rinse your dishes. They are simply the best period.
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:33 am
My ASKO model 1353 has a problem with the recirculation pump. The blades do not spin, so I am thinking either the pump is bad or it is clogged with junk. The pump shaft spins, but when it does, it sounds like something is grinding, or it sounds like a bunch of loose ball barrings. Does anyone have any advice as to what could be wrong?
February 11th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I HAVE A ASKO MODEL #1776 WITH A BLACK PANEL DOOR. THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR (THE BLACK PORTION) IS MELTING AND RUSTING. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IF ANYONE WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. ASKO REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT IS NOT ONE OF THE RECALLS.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
HAVE MODEL 1776 WITH A BLACK PANEL DOOR. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE WITH THIS MODEL IS EXPERIENCING MELTING OF THE BLACK PANEL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR. SINCE THIS MODEL HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED, ASKO REFUSES TO LISTEN TO ME. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I have ASKO Model 1475 that caught on fire and burned the circuit board. I just called ASKO at 800-898-1879 and some nice lady took information and tells me they will repair it free of charge and I should expect a local service company to call within a week to set an appointment to repair it. Just hope it works smoothly.
February 13th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
just stay on top of it and it will!
February 15th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I called yesterday about the recall. They told me they will send the components directly to my home and then they will send the local service company.
Does anyone know what components must be replaced?
I hope this replacement will solve my current problems: Fan always running and detergent door does not close. It seems the solenoid is always energized. I have the model 1595.
February 20th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
DO NOT LET SEARS TOUCH YOUR BOSCH DISHWASHER! A Sears Tech changed the part and screwed up the perfectly working dishwasher due to this recall. The tech had no experience on Bosch dishwasher and didn’t know anything about the recall. He had to read the directions to do the work. All he had was a HS diploma. No tech education.
February 22nd, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I though this recall was for Asko, not Bosch!
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Bosch now has a similar recall out. Our 20+year old Asea (which is what predated ASKO) is still managing to work, thank goodness. But when it kicks the bucket, we’re opting for a Miele.
March 9th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Top drawer fell off on my model # 1385 from Asko. Came on line here to find parts and am reading it has been recalled beacuse of fire. Now what do i do????
March 10th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
call askos 800 # and just stay on top of it! they will fix it. RJ
March 17th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
SEARS did the same thing to my perfectly working Bosch Dishwasher!! Got Mr. Couldn’t do it the first time and got Mr. Know-It-All the second time and now it is completely broken!!! This REALLY STINKS! Due back today for the third try. Hope they can find somebody who knows that they are doing!
April 9th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Sorry I took so long to report. On January 16, I reported that my ASKO 1585 buzzed and smoked and died. Well, we called ASKO, and they said that they would contact their repair people and send them the parts for my dishwasher. They also said that they would have a service technician come to install the parts and make any other repairs within 7 days. They came to my home in 5 days. They made the repair and answered all of our questions. I am happy to say that our ASKO is running great! I’m so sorry to hear that so many of you have had so many problems. Our experience has been very positive, and we are going into our 12th year with our ASKO 1585 Dishwasher.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:03 am
One small correction - The first time I talked to ASKO, they told me that they would send the parts to my home, and they gave me the number of the local firm which would do the repair. When I called the firm, they told me that ASKO would send the parts to them, and that they had already been notified about my case. I thought that was pretty quick. It seems that the ASKO Customer Service Rep is the key. Like all companies, there are good ones and bad ones. Some care and some don’t. My ASKO must have been built on a Wednesday. I have just had no problems other than this recall, and they handled it very well.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:09 am
Anybody have — or know where I can find — a upper basket for an old Asea dishwasher? We’ve managed to keep our 23+ year old Asea running, but the right side of the upper basket just completely eroded away today. Oddly, the left side is perfectly fine. We replaced the baskets some years ago but our local shop says they are unavailable now. I’d hate to have to buy a new dishwasher right now, especially just because the basket has fallen apart when the motor is still runnng!
May 15th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I have DW95 1796 model (I believe it was built in 2001) that unfortunately is not part of the recall but should have been. It started smoking the other day and then the lights stopped working and is now dead (which is pretty much what happened to the recall models) I’ll be reporting this to the .gov site as Asko’s dishwasher recall should be expanded to include this model and others like it.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I came across this website while searching for problems with our ASKO dishwasher. We had a problem with the machine sticking in the final rinse cycle or the dry cycle. This first occurred about a year ago when the machine was still in warranty. The company said the problem was that we were using too much detergent (we we following the manufacturer’s recommendation). They immediately faxed us a DIY repair sheet which should have been a clue that they were dealing with this problem regularly. We followed the instructions which included uninstalling the dishwasher and pulling it out from beneath the counter to access the components, and after suctioning water out of the bottom of the unit, and allowing several days for it to air dry, got it going again. ASKO said to use less detergent and only dry powder, which we did. Now the same problem occurs again, and ASKO says its out of warranty and no their problem — call a repair man.
Next time, we’ll buy an American machine. The ASKO is obviously over engineered and under supported. Our last machine was a GE which ran for 14 years.
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 am
Buying American won’t guarantee you’ll own a trouble-free dishwasher and not all imported machines are bad. I heavily used an Asea (which predated AKSO, apparently for the better) for 20 years, until it gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. I’m deciding which Meile model to replace it with.
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I first logged on this email string a couple years ago. Both of my Asko dishwashers failed at the same time with 2 seperate issues. I was finally able to get them repaired. However one of them has expirenced the same problem once again. The circulation pump has failed for the 3rd time. The 1st one lasted just over 30 days, the labor was only covered for 30 days. I commented on this email string and was contacted by Asko, they took care of everything. I was very pleased with the results.
It has been just over a year since this the pump was replaced. In my opinin, the quality of these parts less than addequate. Does anyone know if the parts are 1 or 2 year warranty? This pump is cost over $300. I can get a new washer for just a few dollars more after you include a service call fee.
May 30th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hi,
I finally got the replacement component for the recall after 3½ months and 4 calls to the help desk. It is the main control board, the door switch and an actuator for the fan. I replaced all parts this morning and everything is working fine now: my fan was always running and the soap door was not closing. Here in Canada, they provide the parts free but you must change them yourself or pay someone to change them.
I hope it will last longer. I wrote to ASKO sweden for complaining about the poor quality of the product. So far, electronics is failing and several pieces of plastic broke. For a high end product, we would expect higher quality.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:19 am
We own an Asko 1385 which we purchased in 1999. It has been a great dishwasher. In the past week we have been experiencing a tripped circuit breaker. It was happening when nothing on that circuit was on so it was very perplexing. A few days into this phenomenon I started to smell something and by the time the electrician got to the house there was a strong smell of burning plastic. He disconnected the dishwasher and we found this blog. I worked for the ASKO distributor and I know that Asko had my unit registered and this is the first I am hearing about this recall. I am disappointed with the company but hopeful that they will take care of the problem. Either way, I will report back!
June 24th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
all that have had trouble with your asko,they wiil repair it just takes time. when my asko cought fire i tried to find a replacement that was as good at any price,but no luck.im so glad they replaced it at no charge! it was not under warranty. RJ
June 24th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
The ASKO was certainly nice for all those years it ran. I bought the home with the unit installed, so of course it went out about 4-6 months later. I think it was a 1999 installation, so it was going on 10 years.
Replaced it with a top of the line Electrolux, which to be honest is even quieter, which is what I was looking for. It also holds more dishes in same cupboard space. It was also cheaper than a comparable ASKO.
I just wish the service folks at ASKO would say what they mean and do what they say. A simple “sorry, but your unit is way past it’s warranty now”, would have saved me a lot of waiting time without a dishwasher in the expectation they were actually going to follow through of what they told me.